Parents charged with keeping unsecured guns after children make alleged threats

LOS ANGELES, California -- Two San Fernando Valley parents are facing criminal charges of keeping unsecured weapons in their homes after their children allegedly made shooting threats at their schools.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer on Monday announced the charges of unlawful firearms storage that he said followed investigations involving threats at schools in Chatsworth and Granada Hills.

In both cases, police were notified of threats made by students, went to the home to investigate and found firearms and ammunition in unsecured locations that the students could have accessed.

"For goodness' sake, lock up your guns. There's no excuse not to," Feuer said. "Locking up firearms saves lives and it's the law. Incidents like these are potential school shooting tragedies waiting to happen. My office will continue taking swift, decisive action against parents who don't safely store their guns."

In one case, a 16-year-old allegedly made threats around Feb. 5 to shoot up his school, Chatsworth Charter High, police said. Investigators said the teen had previously made references to his parents having guns.

The threats were reported and on Feb. 17, police searched the home. They say they recovered two revolvers and a semi-automatic handgun plus 90 rounds of ammunition in an unsecured bag behind a dresser in the home's master bedroom and a rifle in a closet.

Officials have charged Robert Christy, 59, with three counts of unlawful storage of a firearm.

In the second case, police say a 17-year-old made threats involving a gun to another student at Granada Hills Charter High School, and made social media posts with a firearm in February 2018.

Police searched his home and say they found a loaded semi-automatic handgun unsecured in a bag in the closet of Dazo Esguerra, 50. They also found a magazine with seven rounds of ammunition.

Esguerra is charged with criminal storage of a firearm and unlawful storage of a firearm.

If convicted, either defendant could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each charge.